History

The Vienna Academy of Fine Arts was established in 1692 and hence is the oldest art academy in Central Europe. The earliest documentary evidence of the library, which from its beginnings included a graphic art collection, dates back to 1774. The holdings that the first curator, Wenzel Tassara, had to administer were small, consisting of only 43 works in 1783, mainly duplicate copies from the Imperial and Royal Court Library and donations from honorary members of the Academy.
Under the protectorate of Johann Philipp Graf Cobenzl (1741-1811), the library was reorganized. Situated at the former Nunnery of Saint Anne together with the Academy, it comprised about 330 volumes, mainly art-books, but also studies on classical antiquity, history, and literature as well as a collection of 2,800 engravings. In 1801, a reading room was opened.

Under the curators Joseph Ellmaurer (1806-1834) and Johann Trost (1835-1866), the holdings of books were considerably expanded although the library received no mentionable funding from the State Treasury, but was generously supported mainly by the Imperial Family and the many honorary Academy members. Emperor Ferdinand donated duplicates from his private library to the Academy in 1837: more than 700 books and engravings as well as 600 prints and lithographs. In that same year, he also handed over to the Academy more than 800 watercolors and drawings made by Thomas Enders on his Brazilian Expedition (1817-1818). Additional donations, including about 1,000 copperplate engravings, hand drawings, and books, came from the Deputy Academy President Ludwig von Remy between 1838 and 1840. Another substantial expansion of the holdings is owed to the architect Franz Jäger (1781-1839) who bequeathed his entire fine art possessions of about 10,000 items to the library, including 277 Gothic construction drawings from the Bauhütte (building office) of St. Stephen's Cathedral, a worldwide unique treasure. In 1844, the legacy of Vincenz van Eyssen (1760-1844), comprised of more than 17,000 engravings and illustrated books, came into the library, as did the collection of book of Classicist architect Peter von Nobile in 1848. Another addition to be mentioned is a collection of stage designs from the Galli-Bibiena family.
Until 1835, the library was under the direction of the Academy Secretary; the first head librarian to be appointed was Academy professor Johann Trost (1835-1866). His successor Carl von Lützow (1866-1897) already received funding from the state, which made systematic purchases possible. In 1873, H. S. Hüsgen's collection of 280 Dürer prints was purchased, and in 1874 the portrait book of portraits by Schnorrs von Carolsfeld , studies by Anselm Feuerbach, and watercolors by Rudolf von Alt could be acquired fro the library.

Still during Lützow's directorship, the library moved into the new building by Theophil Hansen on Schillerplatz, which as inaugurated in late 1876.

From fall 1944, the Academy remained closed. At the end of the war, part of the building was in ruins, but the library had stayed undamaged. In the subsequent era, the holdings of the library and art-prints collection was expanded with works by contemporary artists such as Unger, Eybl, Manet, Menzel, Klinger, Liebermann, Stuck, and Kriehuber. In 1984, the library premises were generously refurbished and brought back to their original state with the complete furnishings by Theophil Hansen.

Since 2003 the library and the Graphic Collection  are seperate collections.